British holidaymakers insist they are perfectly happy to spend their summer holidays in Clacton.
They say a week on the Essex Riviera knocks spots of Spain, France or Italy.
After the Government took Portugal off the ‘green’ list, Brits are facing up to the fact that it’ll be a staycation this year.
But mum of five Lorraine Fisher, 34, insisted: “Foreign holidays are so overrated.
“We shall be going to Clacton, and we will have a lovely time.
“You really cannot compare Clacton to Malaga. There’s not even a pier in Malaga.”
Ms Fisher said she really wanted to holiday on the Suffolk coast, but the area is too exclusive.
“So, it’s Essex for us and that’s just fine. We’ve always said how lovely Clacton is. It’s got a certain vibe with plenty of things to do.”
However, children suspect a wet and windy week in Essex may not be quite the adventure their parents claim it is.
Abbie Fisher, seven, said: “You’re asking me if I’d rather go to Clacton than the south of France?
“Are you insane?”
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Gareth Southgate has today named Fear, Abject-Failure and Useless in his 26-man England squad for this summer’s European Championships.
He has gone for experience as he tries to manage the expectations of fans ahead of the tournament.
Fear and Startled will form the backbone of the England defence, while Useless, Dim-Wit and Feckless will be expected to score the goals to propel England to Euros glory for the first time.
The midfield engine room will be masterminded by veteran team captain Abject-Failure, who will run around alongside Panicky and Spineless.
Unveiling his squad at a press conference at Wembley, Southgate said he would be sticking with his tried and tested goalkeeper, Bottler his number one choice.
But second-choice keeper Butterfingers is expected to keep Bottler on his toes.
Southgate, 50, said: “Everyone knows what England fans expect of us, especially as all our group games are at Wembley.
“We have reputations to uphold and I have picked what I believe is the best 26-man England European Championships squad to enable us to crash out at the group stage as usual.”
The Three Lions have been drawn in Group D along with the mighty Scotland-Nil, Croatia, and the Czech Republic.
It is widely expected they will only manage a draw against Scotland and lose to Croatia and the Czechs, with Dim-Wit missing a last-minute penalty to save the day.
Skipper Abject-Failure, who has already won an amazing 545 caps for England, said: “We go to into the competition knowing what we have to do. England expects.”
England World Cup squad
Manager Gareth Southgate
Goalkeepers Bottler Butterfingers
Defenders Fear Botch Collapse Anxious Good-For-Nothing Startled Coward
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The well-heeled people of Aldeburgh enjoyed some seaside activities as the sun made Bank Holiday a roaring success.
Locals dispensed with their usual reserve to dip their toes into the water.
Ladies used new-fangled bathing machines designed to protect their modesty as they put on swimming attire and descended into the waves out of sight.
It got busy on the beach at one point
The general scene was a delight, and this newspaper can report the Aldeburgh merchants did a fine trade in delicious fondant fancies, made by local baker Lorraine Fisher, 34, and ginger beer.
Children from the orphanage in Leiston, which is sufficiently far away from Aldeburgh so that residents don’t usually need to see them, also enjoyed a special annual outing on Aldeburgh beach.
Leiston Orphanage children at Aldeburgh
The little urchins are pictured above after agreeing to stand still for 45 seconds while the Suffolk Gazette Aldeburgh photographer, Reginald Britten took the image on his new Box Camera.
Meanwhile, in Lowestoft, just a few miles up the Suffolk coast, there were distinctly different Bank Holiday scenes.
This is where common people, the type who work in the factories or in the fields, go for their leisure time.
Our image below, taken by our colleagues at the Lowestoft Post and Times, and with colour added from a new printing press technique, shows many working-class folk enjoying a day off from their usual toil. The open air will do wonders for their sores and complaints.
Meanwhile, in Lowestoft
Aldeburgh Mayor Steve Walshe, 43, said: “The town was alive with activity yesterday. Everyone managed to protect their modesty and no adult skin was displayed.”
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Alarming new figures show there is no let-up in the number of people posting a photograph of their COVID vaccination card on Facebook.
Even though just about everyone in the country will be jabbed at some point, many people assume it is newsworthy to report they have had the vaccination.
The latest Government figures show in the latest period there were: 8 deaths, 3,200 new cases – and 752,000 new Facebook posts of people with a photo of their card.
Social media misery Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “It’s getting like when it snows and everyone posts a photo on Facebook. Why?
“We only need to look out of the window to see it is snowing. And it’s not like we haven’t seen it before.
“Every day, my feed is full of people saying they have had their COVID vaccination and proudly posting a photo of their card.
“These same people have completely ignored all the ‘vaccine done’ posts from their friends.
“And now the ‘double-jabs’ are reporting their news as well.
“It’s times like this that I would welcome seeing what people had for dinner, or a photo of their ugly dog.”
But vaccination fan Steve Walshe, 43, from Woodbridge, said it was important for people to celebrate their news.
“I put up my vaccination card on Facebook – hopefully my cheery post might encourage others to go along and get it done.”
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Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City will go head-to-head in the Champions League final at the Estádio do Dragão tomorrow night, and whilst Premier League champions Man City are the heavy favourites in the Champions League winner odds, many are beginning to question whether Chelsea’s two recent victories over Pep Guardiola’s side will give the west Londoners the upper hand.
With Man City tipped for an historic quadruple, not many people gave Chelsea a chance when the sides met in the FA Cup semi-final last month. Yet, Hakim Ziyech’s second-half strike secured a dogged 1-0 victory and Chelsea’s place in the final.
Less than a month later, Thomas Tuchel’s men rained on City’s parade again — extending their wait to regain the Premier League title from Liverpool’s trophy cabinet. Raheem Sterling fired the hosts into the lead late in the first half before Sergio Agüero’s Panenka penalty was easily saved by Edouard Mendy on the brink of half-time.
City were made to pay for the Argentine’s mistake in the second half as Ziyech fired his low effort from the edge of the box past Ederson and into the bottom corner before Timo Werner set up Marcos Alonso for an injury-time winner.
Those victories have led to speculation that Tuchel has gotten under Guardiola’s skin and that the Blues will head into the Champions League final with a psychological advantage over the heavy market favourites.
The victory meant little in the title race as it was just a matter of time before City wrapped up the league. However, there’s no doubt that with the Champions League final just around the corner, both sides would have wanted to win to stamp their authority before the big game.
The odds may be against Chelsea, but they will go into the final knowing that they have what it takes to beat Guardiola’s side, and they will surely be confident of doing so having got the better of the Premier League champions twice in quick succession.
In fact, Tuchel is becoming somewhat of a thorn in the Catalan manager’s side. In their four meetings, Guardiola has won just once, defeating Tuchel’s Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup final on penalties whilst at Bayern Munich.
With the German seemingly knowing how to keep Guardiola shtum, the worry for Man City fans now is that the 50-year-old overthinks his tactics ahead of the final. Guardiola has become infamous for overthinking throughout his career and given how he tinkered in the side’s Premier League meeting earlier this month, it looks likely that he will change things up again for the Champions League final.
Following his side’s victory at the Etihad Stadium, Tuchel was quick to rule out the successive victories having an impact on the Champions League final. However, he did admit that his men now know how to beat City and that will help in the showpiece match.
“As I have said before, this result will not change the final,” the German gaffer said. “We will arrive with the knowledge we are capable of beating City. This is what we have now, and this will not change until [the final].”
Chelsea will undoubtedly have an edge heading into the game, but if Manchester City are at their best, they will be a tough nut to crack. Despite the two defeats, Guardiola’s men will still be the favourites, and it would be no surprise to see them lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time on Saturday night.
Fans of the hit TV show Friends are shocked by how old the cast look in their reunion special.
They say Jennifer Aniston and her co-stars have not aged well.
The Suffolk Gazette was handed the image of ‘Rachel’, which we print below.
Jennifer Aniston on the Friends Reunion (Photo: Raph PH under CC)
It clearly shows Jennifer Aniston today, aged 52, a lot older than when she and the rest of the crew finished filming US sitcom Friends in New York back in 2004.
Friends fan Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “I was so looking forward to watching the Friends reunion, but I would rather remember the characters for how they were.
“They all look so old now, it’s a shame.”
However, others are keen to point out that the cast still look amazing, and they are pretty sure Lorraine Fisher will look a lot older when she is 52.
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Britain has something to look forward to at last – the nights start drawing in soon, meaning winter is finally on its way.
The longest day is on June 21, fewer than four weeks away, and after that we can look forward to cold, dark evenings with crap weather.
Thankfully, after going through the year from hell, we have all been basking in glorious long, summer days recently.
We have a glow about us that comes from lovely sunshine and time spent enjoying ourselves outdoors.
So, the reality of the nights drawing in and winter approaching is a welcome relief.
Sun-parched Lorraine Fisher, 34, said: “We’ve all got a bit bored of the heatwave, quite frankly.
“After COVID and lockdown misery, it was nice at first to have months of relentless sunshine.
“But it’s getting a bit boring now. Wouldn’t it be nice to get a drop of rain? Our gardens are crying out for it.”
Steve Walshe added: “I can’t wait for the nights to draw in. I love it being cold and dark – it’s the real onset of another winter to look forward to.”
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